The Impact of Interest Rate Changes on Your Mortgage: What You Need to Know
How Interest Rate Rises Affect Your Mortgage Interest rates play a pivotal role in shaping the financial landscape for homeowners. As the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) recently increased the cash rate for the third time this year, it’s essential to understand how changes in rates impact your mortgage and what steps you can take […]
What is LVR and why is it important?
Banks need a buffer to safeguard their investments when they lend money to home buyers. That buffer is your home deposit. As a general rule, banks like borrowers to have a deposit worth 20% of the price of the property. This then means your Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) is 80%. If the bank […]
New Financial Year, New Lending Strategy: 5 smart moves to set yourself up right
The start of a new financial year is a clean slate. It’s when people set fresh goals, get on top of their finances, and tell themselves, this year will be different. But if you’re serious about building wealth, paying off debt faster, or growing a property portfolio, there’s one area you can’t afford to […]
Thinking About Borrowing Through a Trust?
Trusts. They sound like the domain of big-time moguls and corporate lawyers, but more and more Aussie investors are using them as a tool to grow and protect their property portfolios. The catch? Lending through a trust isn’t as simple as taking out a loan in your own name – and 2025’s lending landscape […]
Should I fix my rate?
A number of banks have begun to discount their fixed rate home loans. First NAB, then Westpac lowered their rates recently and each of the banks currently has at least one fixed loan offering that is cheaper than their variable rate mortgages. Paying even a small amount less each month will be tempting for […]
Upfront costs of buying a home
If you are planning to buy a property, you may get a rude shock when you find out how expensive all the little associated costs that come with it are. Especially if this is your first property, or it’s been a while since you last bought. So, when the time comes to apply for […]
A guide to SMSF lending
Aussies are more engaged with their superannuation than ever before and we have good reason to be. Big events like the GFC saw fortunes wiped from our retirement savings; while periods of low-interest rates and several property booms in different markets over the past decade showed that we may need to do more than […]
What you need to know about self-employed home loans
Risk is a huge consideration when it comes to banks and responsible lending. When you are applying for a loan with a bank, they will want to minimize their exposure to risk in a whole number of ways. The main one is to ensure you have a reliable income with which you can make […]
Homeownership vs renting
Times have been tough for tenants in recent times as vacancy rates have tightened to record lows and asking rents have risen by double-digit percentages for consecutive years. But homeowners still paying off their mortgages have had their challenges. The RBA cash rate has risen from 0.1% to 4.35% and banks have hiked interest […]
Should I refinance in 2024?
Australians refinanced at record levels in 2023, which was understandable. There’s nothing like being slugged with hundreds or even thousands of dollars extra a month in interest repayments for getting you engaged with your finances. Many borrowers had been lulled into a state of complacency because, until early 2022, it had been more than […]
